Peter Webster has led the EIRIS Foundation since it was founded in 1983. He has focussed on the challenges of providing ESG ratings and research to a wide range of owners and managers, helping investors to make good use of that research and advancing the concept of responsible investment. Peter is a regular speaker on topics ranging from fiduciary duty to individual ESG areas and their global evolution as well as how responsible investment can contribute to a more sustainable and robust financial system. He was treasurer of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association for 20 years until the end of 2011 and from October 2013 to October 2019 was a member of the PRI Board.

Sam Chua joined EIRIS Conflict Risk Network from ISS ESG where she worked for more than five years as a member of the Norm-Based Research team. She specialized in writing reports on allegations against companies which breached international human rights and labor rights standards. Sam has experience in qualitative research and report writing, research methodology enhancement, and company engagement. She holds an MA in Mass Communications, an MS in Management, and a degree in the Humanities.

Maria joined EIRIS working as a Marketing and Promotion Assistant for the Conflict Risk Network (CRN) in Boston. She is responsible for advocating the next steps for sustainable finance by raising awareness about business in conflict-affected areas to support peace. She has previously worked in Convert 360, a business-to-business marketing agency in her home country – Brazil –, as a marketing assistant and social media manager. Maria was also the vice-president of communications in the Student Government Association (SGA) of her school, where she aided with the organization of events, as well as guiding the monthly production of the SGA’s newsletter.

Elissandra joined the EIRIS Foundation from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD). She has wide-ranging experience on monitoring and evaluation of development projects, advocacy and stakeholder management. She has worked with a number of European investors with interests in the renewable energy sector as well as a political risk and financial analyst in both the UK and Brazil covering corruption, clean tech and human rights in emerging markets. She has worked on policy analysis and project management for a number of international organisations, including the UN. Elissandra holds an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy, and a degree in Business Administration. She is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English. Elissandra provides ongoing research support and analysis for EIRIS CRN.

Yael recently joined EIRIS Foundation after a 10 year career as a campaigner at WWF UK and Amnesty International Secretariat. Yael has worked on research projects on a wide range of issues from climate change, EU fisheries policies, violence against women and oil drilling in Africa. She gained extensive experience working within coalitions, and working with a diverse range of stakeholders.  She has vast experience on stakeholder engagement and on organising large scale public events.  She holds a Master’s in Human Rights in Theory and Practice from the University of Essex.

Lisa's career to date has been focussed specifically on sustainable investment and finance. Lisa is currently the Head of Communications and Charity Impact at the EIRIS Foundation. Lisa was previously a Programme Director at the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), supporting the growth of UK market demand for responsible investment and other financial services that advance sustainability through activities such as Good Money Week, the Ethical Investment Association and support for Pension Funds and Charity Investors. Lisa initially developed an interest in sustainable finance while studying Finance and Environmental Economics in South Africa. Lisa is a proud Trustee of The Orchard Project, a charity dedicated to the creation, restoration and celebration of community orchards.

Rita is the Next Steps Project Manager at the EIRIS Foundation, helping us identify and lead new projects that pioneer the next steps in sustainable finance. She has been working as a project leader and guest lecturer specialising in cross-disciplinary endeavours in international contexts. Rita successfully led the Denmark-based pan-European Otherness Project, engaging with eleven partner organisations and universities, charities, and local governments. During the past eight years she focussed on analysis and modelling of the most intriguing societal and environmental questions. She has participated in knowledge exchange about migration, urban upcycling, communities built on equity, and action research in cross-disciplinary projects via events, workshops, conferences and publications in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, the US, Germany, Greece, Italy and Switzerland.

Jana holds an undergraduate degree in legal studies and a LLM in international human rights law from the University of Essex. She has worked as a legal researcher in asylum law, international family law, and employment law in Germany. As part of research teams at the University of Essex she has worked on issues of business and human rights and corporate accountability, as well as rights holder participation and rights abuses. Since December 2021 she is part of the EIRIS Foundation working on the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and other projects with a focus on Business and Human Rights.

Felicitas oversees the research for the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and leads the Social Lobby Map initiative. Prior to joining EIRIS Foundation, she built up the KnowTheChain benchmarks at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, focused on assessing corporate efforts to address forced labour risks across supply chains. Her work included building up a coalition of over 90 global investors to take up the data, engaging with benchmarked companies and their trade associations on how to move the industry forward, and connecting with civil society to reflect their needs in the methodology. Prior to joining the Resource Centre, Felicitas has worked at Principles for Responsible Investment, initially leading its investor collaboration platform, and subsequently its investor engagements on social issues. Felicitas holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics from Universität Leipzig.

Jas came to the EIRIS Foundation from ClientEarth, an environmental law charity. It was here that he developed his interest in sustainable finance, seeing the necessity of strategic investment to reach net-zero and achieve other important social goals. Prior to joining the Foundation, Jas had held numerous fundraising roles at a variety of charities, including WaterAid, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA) and the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN). He holds an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of York.

Nicola is the Research and Project Officer at the EIRIS Foundation, working on projects that pioneer the next steps in sustainable finance. She has been working in the not-for-profit sector for 12 years’ in the UK, working at some of the leading national and international charities. Nicola has an academic background in cultural studies, with a masters’ in Political Communications, from Goldsmiths, University of London. She undertook her masters’ thesis on Corporate Social Responsibility, speaking to senior CSR practitioners from many of the major UK blue-chip organisations.